Top Limpopo parties celebrate gains despite lower voter turnout

LIMPOPO – The three best-performing political parties in Limpopo have expressed satisfaction with their gains in the provincial election, despite a reduced voter turnout from 66.05% in the 2019 election to 58.64% this year.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officially announced the provincial election results on Monday during a dinner at their Results Operations Centre (ROC) at The Ranch Resort.

Representatives from all political parties contesting for spots in the provincial legislature were present. Widely publicised IEC leader boards had, however, already indicated by the end of the weekend that no significant shifts in political leadership were expected compared to other parts of the country.

The ANC saw a slight decline in votes, dropping by 2.9% from 75.49% in the previous election to their current standing. Despite this, they maintained an outright majority in the Limpopo Legislature, increasing their seats from 38 to 45.

This increase is partly due to an amendment in provincial legislature law last year, which expanded the number of seats from 49 to 68, allowing more room for political representation.

ANC provincial spokesperson, Jimmy Machaka, expressed motivation to work harder in future elections, aiming to improve on their current results, especially after losing control of three provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Northern Cape, along with an outright majority in parliament.

Machaka acknowledged the emergence of new parties, such as the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party and United African Transformation, each securing one seat, which may have slightly affected their performance but with “little impact”.

Meanwhile, the EFF’s Godrich Gardee welcomed an increase in their seats from seven to nine in the provincial legislature.

He emphasised the need for continued efforts to connect people with their “radical but necessary policies”.

“It takes time to convince people that our politics, especially on nationalisation, are possible and can liberate them from the current political system. We’re promising robust engagements moving forward. But now, unfortunately, voters must live with who they have voted for, a provider of poor services”. The DA’s Désirée van der Walt, whose party grew by one seat from three to four in the legislature, said the results show that opposition parties have an opportunity to grow.

“The ANC’s decline proved that we can become better and that our policies can resonate with people across all parts of the province. Our focus as the DA is to continue reaching for better results in the next five years.”